The Effect of Ketogenic Diet on Weight Loss in Adult Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials
Marzieh Taftian, Sara Beigrezaei, Vahid Arabi, Amin Salehi‐Abargouei
Abstract
Recently, Ketogenic diets have been investigated as an adjunct cancer treatment. This study aimed to summarize the effect of a ketogenic diet on weight in adults with cancer. Literature search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science (ISI), Scopus, and Google Scholar up to August 2020. The overall estimates were calculated through a random-effects model. A total of eight trials were eligible to be included in the current study. Meta-analysis revealed that a ketogenic diet significantly reduces body weight in cancer patients [weighted mean difference (WMD) = −3.992 kg, 95% confidence interval (CI): −7.417 to 0.566, P = 0.022, n = 7]. The subgroup analysis revealed that the decreasing effect remained significant in trials done in patients with breast cancer (WMD = −3.332 kg, 95%CI: −4.169 to −2.495, P < 0.001, n = 3) and in studies with >10 (WMD = −2.795, 95%CI: −4.053 to −1.537, P < 0.001, n = 3) and ≤10 weeks of duration (WMD = −7.257, 95%CI: −13.034 to −1.481, P = 0.014, n = 4). However, our findings did not support significant effect of ketogenic diets on body mass index (BMI) (WMD = −1.808 kg/m2, 95%CI: −3.945 to 0.33, P = 0.097, n = 4). In conclusion, ketogenic diets might result to a weight loss in adults with cancer. Future well-designed randomized controlled clinical trials might warrant current findings.